*Ogonnelloe is among the expected connection points.
A 43km greenway planned for East Clare “has gone off the agenda,” a former Mayor of Clare has lamented.
Contracts for the design of the Limerick to Scariff Greenway were signed in June 2021 yet the project remains in the option selection phase with very little progress recorded. In the first quarter of this year, a peer review of the preferred route corridor was completed.
Landowners who have held meetings with Waterways Ireland on the potential use of their land did not receive an update for over a year and a half.
Raising the matter at a meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) stated, “the Greenway has gone off the agenda. We need to come back here, it doesn’t seem to me that we have been given information”. He said councillors were led to believe results would be visible by now.
Senior executive engineer in the Killaloe MD, Declan Flanagan reminded councillors that Waterways Ireland gave a presentation to them earlier this year and in March 2024. He advised the meeting that the individual leading the project has just returned from sick leave and will attend the November meeting of the Killaloe MD. “It was circumstances outside his control, they will be here for our next meeting”.
Meanwhile, Live95 FM have reported that a briefing of Limerick City and County Council with Waterways Ireland that the Black Bridge in Plassey would be restored and incorporated as part of the Greenway. It is expected to form phase one of the overall route.
Since 2010, the Black Bridge has been closed due to safety concerns. It links the Canal Bank Walk near the University of Limerick with Co Clare. It dates back to 1840 and was a popular meeting spot for families and fishermen for decades.
Local elected members in Limerick were informed the project is hoped to get underway in the second quarter of 2026.
As part of the Shannon Tourism Masterplan, the Limerick to Scariff Greenway is listed as a signature project and would link Limerick City with Lough Derg and East Clare. Villages such as Clonlara, O’Briensbridge, Killaloe, Ogonnelloe and Tuamgrane have been touted as potential connections along the route.
